Fields, to lodge in Trees, in Hives, and
to eat all sorts of Fruits, it produceth
Honey of divers colours that
serveth for a remedy to
the diseases of Men.'
The Prophet Mahomet
The Alcoran of Mahomet
The Chapter of the Bee
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| 'The Lord inspired the Bee to dewll in the Fields, to lodge in Trees, in Hives, and to eat all sorts of Fruits, it produceth Honey of divers colours that serveth for a remedy to the diseases of Men.' The Prophet Mahomet The Alcoran of Mahomet The Chapter of the Bee |
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ABOUT US | CONTACT US | ||
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| MALFROY'S GOLD - WILD HONEY Honey is a perfect food in its natural and wild state. Therefore, we assist our bees to produce this Wild Honey naturally by allowing them to draw their own comb which is made from the virgin beeswax they produce themselves during honey flows. Wild honey could be compared to Artisan, Organic or 'Raw' honey. However, wild honey is far superior as it captures the unique terroir of the region in which it has been produced, is bee-friendly, and ultimately more natural because the comb is produced entirely by the bees. In addition, most commercially available honey has been homogenised, micro-filtered, and pasteurised, thereby losing all discernable taste and health benefits. To our knowledge we are the only commercial beekeepers in Australia practising this unique method of bee management and supplying this natural product. We are also the only commercial producers in Australia keeping bees in accordance with the International Demeter Standards for Beekeeping. All our honey is produced in permanent small apiaries located in isolated wilderness or woodland areas, over a 200km range throughout the upper Blue Mountains and Eastern Central Tablelands of NSW, Australia. |
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BENEFITS OF WILD HONEY | ||||
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| Naturally Harvested | |||||
When we harvest the full boxes of honey (always taking care to leave enough for the bees) we first select the best combs to be cut into pieces and sold as pure Honeycomb. The remaining comb is crushed, strained, and bottled. It is the closest form of honey to harvesting from a wild nest of bees. We strain our honey through coarse organic cotton cloth at room temperature then bottle the honey. On particularly cold days, we gently warm the honey to beehive temperature (35°C) to bottle. Our honey varieties can be placed in two categories: mono-floral (Single Floral Source i.e. Pure Yellowbox) and poly-floral (Mixed Floral Source ie Wollemi Wilderness). |
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| Virgin Comb | |||||
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We believe it is the birthright of bees to draw their own comb. Bees spend at least 90% of their lives on the comb inside the hive and the comb itself is a multi-functional living space. The bees use comb to raise brood, store food and communicate amongst many other functions integral to the life of the colony. Despite the importance of virgin comb to bees, the standard method used by beekeepers is to economise this natural process by giving the bees re-used frames of drawn comb from previous seasons or ‘foundation’. Foundation is sheets of beeswax or plastic with embossed hexagonal cell size patterns which give the bees a uniform cell size and starter for their wax-building. Although this usually results in a larger honey harvest, the bees cannot communicate as effectively in this system and are unable to construct, modify, or renew their living quarters. Unfortunately, some beekeepers use chemicals to treat pests and diseases in their hives. Given that beeswax is a highly absorbative substance there is great potential for chemical residue to build up in the comb over time. Additionally, if bees are located on agricultural sites and visiting conventional crops, there is a high risk they could be carrying toxic chemicals back to the hive which are also absorbed in the beeswax. This results in sub-lethal effects on the bees and toxic residues in the honey products. A scoping study in the US in 2010 found a staggering 121 pesticides and metabolites in beeswax samples. To make matters worse, the beeswax harvested from hives is sold to beeswax processors and re-distributed throughout the beekeeping industry in the form of foundation, leading to the further spread of chemical residues. A feedback loop is formed with cumulative sub-lethal effects on bees, often resulting in drone infertility and failing queens. In our attempt to keep bees naturally and mimic the workings of a wild bee colony, we let our bees draw their own comb. The comb in the hive is constantly renewed, and is always pure. Our hives are placed in wilderness locations, far from conventional crops, orchards, urban centres and other beekeepers. Therefore we can guarantee that our honey is not only pure and free from chemicals, but also minimises stress on the bees, and prevents disease and chemical build-up in the hive. Because we do not ‘trigger’ the bees to artificially over-produce honey for our own benefit and because the bees must build the combs anew every time rather than merely depositing and ripening nectar in re-used combs, we have experienced a 70% drop in honey production and yield per hive. Our focus is firmly on quality rather than quantity, and if the result of this method is content and resilient bees then we are happy to produce a smaller amount of wild honey. |
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'The comb and the wax from which it is constructed are not only entirely produced by the bees, but also an inseparable part of their lives.' 0 Jürgen Tautz |
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TERROIR | ||
| As a natural food, honey has no equal. It is our belief that honey surpasses wine, olive oil and cheese in its reflection of terroir. A great winemaker will have 30 or 40 years of experience, whereas bees have 30 or 40 million years of experience gathering nectar and making honey! Each jar of honey is a snapshot of a million flowers; a result of nectar gathered feverishly and ferried back to the glowing hive where it is miraculously transmuted. Each season and each region produces a unique honey. It is our job to treat the harvest with care and respect, and do nothing to hamper the expression of terroir. Our Apiaries All of our apiaries are located at altitudes ranging from 700m to 1100m, where the bees enjoy warm, mild summers and cool winters. The average day temperature during summer is 20-24°C and 8-10°C during the winter months. Temperature extremes range from 40°C in the height of summer to -10°C in winter. The higher altitudes also experience a few snowfalls each year, with rainfall evenly spread throughout the year, ranging from 600-700mm/year in the Central Tablelands to 1500mm/year in the upper Blue Mountains. |
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Blue Mountains | ||
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The Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area incorporates over 1,000,000 hectares including 550,000 hectares of wilderness. The area received world heritage status on 29 November 2000 for its diversity of Eucalypts and refugia of ancient plant communities including the Wollemi Pine. The area is also noted for its superlative beauty characterised by the blue haze of Eucalypts set against the dramatic contrast of the world's finest display of sandstone plateaus, which tell the story of all aspects of the earth’s evolution. Rich in cultural heritage, the area is the birthplace of the conservation movement in Australia and the traditional land of 6 aboriginal language groups. The Eucalypt forest communities of the region are the most diverse and intact scleromorphic (hard-leaved) forests in the Earth's temperate zone. They range from the tall open forests of the high tops and deep valleys to open woodlands and mallee shrublands. These forests together with non-Eucalypt ecosystems including rainforests, heaths and wetlands protect a significant proportion of Australia's total biodiversity, which is unique and important on a global scale. Our apiaries are located in isolated areas of the mid and upper Blue Mountains on organic farms, permaculture properties and gardens bordering the world heritage area. The hive numbers are kept small at each apiary to minimise disturbance to the local environment. For more information, please visit: Greater Blue Mountains Word Heritage Experience The Botanists Way The Great Eastern Ranges Conservation Corridor Initiative NSW Department of Environment The Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute |
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| Central Tablelands (part of the Central West) | |||
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The Central Tablelands of NSW are located just west of the Blue Mountains and are part of the larger Central West region, which covers 63,262 sq km. It is the traditional land of the Wiradjuri people. The tablelands and highlands area of the Central West is located in the eastern section, at altitudes of 700-1300m, and features large areas of remnant forest and woodland, in contrast to the other areas of the Central West which have been heavily cleared for agriculture, forestry, urban development, and mining. Our apiaries are located on large grazing properties bordering extensive stands of Eucalypt forest and grassy woodland, where the bees are able to forage on a number of Eucalypt species, shrubs, and ground flora. The main honey flows are produced from the Yellow Box Eucalyptus melliodora and Red Stringybark Eucalyptus macrorrhyncha trees, which supply an abundance of nectar during flowering, every 2-4 years. The Grassy or Box Gum Woodlands of the Central West and other parts of Australia are listed as a threatened ecological community. For more information, please visit: Grassy Box Woodlands Conservation Management Network The Tablelands Way |
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HEALTH BENEFITS | ||
Throughout the history of mankind, honey has held an incredibly important place in society for religious, medicinal, gastronomical and ceremonial purposes. Although processed sugar has taken precedence over honey for everyday use in most households, dozens of scientific papers are published each year that validate the use of honey for nutritional and medicinal benefits. Please visit the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation publications page if you are interested in accessing scientific papers regarding the unique properties of Australian honey. Raw honey and honeycomb are rich in antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, unique aromas, and contain more than 200 natural substances, some of which do not occur elsewhere. Each variety of honey has unique properties, and can enhance energy, soothe digestion, aid sleep, heal wounds, cure sore throats and colds, and provide relief from hayfever. |
 Honey is a complete, natural food! |
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| ABN 79 921 638 711© MALFROY'S GOLD 2011 | |||
